Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Give us a Brucie bonus... a statue of star
Fans urge BBC to honour him
SIR Bruce Forsyth could stay at the BBC for ever – with his own statue outside Broadcasting House.
The Beeb said it would consider the rare honour for one of its best-loved stars, who died on Friday aged 89.
Brucie fans are clamouring for the statue. One admirer, Maya Sanchez, summed up their feelings: “I think there should be a statue of Sir Bruce Forsyth at the BBC, in his famous pose. A true great like him should be honoured.”
The idea got a warm response from the BBC, where a spokesman said: yesterday: “We are more than happy to look at what would be the most fitting tribute to a BBC showbiz legend.”
There is already a bust of the Strictly Come Dancing host inside the London Palladium, where he started his career.
It was sculpted by his son-in-law Dominic Grant and is placed in the theatre’s Cinderella Bar.
There are also calls for a statue in Edmonton, North East London, where Sir Bruce was born. Local councillors are to debate the proposal.
Meanwhile, Sir Bruce’s family said yesterday they have yet to make funeral arrangements following his death on Friday, aged 89.
A statement from his manager Ian Wilson said: “The family have barely discussed let alone finalised arrangements. An announcement will be made in the coming days.”
The statement followed speculation the family were planning a Westminster Abbey service, similar to that in June for Brucie’s pal, comedian Ronnie Corbett.
Meanwhile on Saturday night, an average of 3.3 million, and a peak of 4.2 million, tuned into a repeat of When Miranda Met Bruce.
First aired by the BBC in 2013, it featured comic Miranda Hart interviewing Sir Bruce about his career.
Stars have continued to share their sadness over his death.
Sir Elton John praised the “brilliant comedian, television host and lovely man”, adding that it was an “honour” to have worked with him. Sir Bruce’s close friend, comedian Jimmy Tarbuck, told BBC Breakfast: “He was always Mr Forsyth to me because he did help change my life.
“He was unique. He could play the piano with Nat King Cole, he could dance with Sammy Davis Jr, he could take over Have I Got News For You, and most importantly he could annoy Sean Connery on the golf course, which always tickled me.”
Comedian and singer Russ Abbot, said: “There will never be another Bruce,” adding: “A great, great loss to the country and personally a great loss to me as a friend.”
Sir Bruce’s former Strictly Come Dancing co-stars Tess Daly, Arlene Phillips, Len Goodman and Claudia Winkleman, broadcasters Piers Morgan, Chris Evans and Stephen Fry and the Prime Minister Theresa May are among the many to have paid tribute.
Sir Bruce leaves six children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
His widow is his third wife, former Miss World, Lady Wilnelia Merced.
On Friday it was announced that the TV veteran had “passed away this afternoon, peacefully at his home surrounded by his wife Wilnelia and all his children”. The statement from Mr Wilson continued: “A couple of weeks ago, a friend asked him what he had been doing these last 18 months.
“With a twinkle in his eye, he responded, ‘I’ve been very, very busy... being ill!’. Unfortunately, not long after this, his health deteriorated and he contracted bronchial pneumonia.”
The family thanked everyone for their well wishes to Sir Bruce “over his long illness and know that they will share in part, the great, great loss they feel”.
He’d play with Nat King Cole & dance with Sammy Davis Jr JIMMY TARBUCK CLOSE PAL OF SIR BRUCE
THE face of Julian Cadman, aged just seven, will damn for ever the evil jihadists who unleashed indiscriminate mass murder in Spain.
Cutting short the life of an innocent Britishaustralian boy symbolises the barbarity of hate-filled, savage extremists warping Islam to justify their own perverted bloodlust.
Our hearts go out once again to all the victims of the atrocity. But to defeat these fanatical killers requires us to be united at home and abroad, strengthening security to track down the killers and bring them to justice, and refusing to let them set community against community.
The loudest denunciations of the Islamists are heard from shocked Muslims, who must never be tarred with the same brush.
The British link to an imam involved is worrying but let us celebrate too the heroism of men such as paramedic Hassan Zubier, injured as he treated the wounds of a woman stabbed by a jihadi in Finland.
We’ve suffered attacks in Britain in recent months. Let us mourn Julian and all those murdered in Spain, declaring here and now that we will never be beaten by terrorist thugs.